BMW has begun offering DTS AutoStage audio functionality in approximately 20 new vehicle models.
I asked Joe D’Angelo, senior VP of broadcast radio and digital audio at DTS AutoStage’s parent company Xperi Inc., to update us.
RW: Why is this development notable?
Joe D’Angelo: As your readers may be aware, there are two types of DTS AutoStage functionality: video and audio. Our video service is powered by TiVo, and BMW last year became the first automaker to launch with that.
Then in early 2024 BMW added our audio functionality to their BMW iDrive system. I previewed it in a test vehicle at Radio Days Europe in March but it wasn’t yet public.
In July they went live, so BMW now is offering both DTS AutoStage audio and video in cars with the most recent versions of their iDrive operating system. It’s the first carmaker to offer the complete solution, and it is available in around 20 models now, a range of vehicles that includes sedans, SUVs, EVs and high-end luxury vehicles.
You may remember that BMW was the first OEM to launch with HD Radio, so we have a long history of working with them as innovators.
RW: You seem particularly amped up about this.
D’Angelo: What I’m super excited about is the pace of the rollout. With these new implementations, our system can not only be factory installed in new cars but it can be deployed via a free software upgrade using the modem in the vehicle. You’ll recall that Tesla deployed DTS AutoStage that way, and BMW is offering it both as an installed option or via upgrade.
And if a driver is signed up for the BMW ConnectedDrive service, that upgrade is automatic, though there’s also a way to do it manually.
In the first 30 days after BMW went live with the audio version, we saw vehicles come online in more than 60 countries, which is spectacular. Hundreds of thousands of cars were activated.
It reinforces the opportunity for radio to take advantage of a technical innovation at a pace that the industry has never seen before. The DTS AutoStage platform is delivering scalable installations with a fantastic velocity of conversion.
We’re in well over 7 million cars globally now with the audio version. The takeaway is that more listeners are listening to better radio that’s more discoverable and that delivers more data about listening.
Meanwhile it’s also clear that video platforms in general are becoming increasingly important. Mercedes also has a video offering, as does Tesla. That’s an area of very active RFQs or requests for quotes in the automotive space.
RW: What’s the status of Xperi’s exploration of in-car gaming?
D’Angelo: We have not announced any commercial deployments of our gaming solution yet. It’s still going through iterations. We have proof of concepts such as a quiz show involving music. But we’re leaning heavy into our music and audio experience with these. My intent is to develop them in such a way that when there is monetization, it’s available to radio stations so they can participate in the revenue generation.
